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Parents' Guide to

The Three Musketeers

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Swashbuckler for tweens has tons of action but no heart.

Movie PG-13 2011 110 minutes
The Three Musketeers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 9 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 4, 2022
age 11+

You want it to be better...but it just isn't

You want it to be better but it just isn't. For all of its pomp and circumstance the narrative does not gel well. The acting is uneven and the performers that are engaging are seen too little. Perhaps Mikkelsen had an eyepatch because he could not bear to see all of the flash and money spent on a forgettable film.
cave.trolls04
cave.trolls04 Parent of 3-year-old
September 2, 2018
age 11+

Isn't right

This movie was nothing like the book it was based off of. I was very disappointed at just how much got changed. If you're looking for an action movie with few other elements, you've come to the right place. There isn't really any parts where you get to learn more about the characters you're on an adventure with.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Penniless country boy D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) travels to Paris to find the Musketeers -- angry Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), brawny Porthos (Ray Stevenson), and philosophical Aramis (Luke Evans). After a brush with Cardinal Richelieu's guards -- led by the villainous Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen) -- D'Artagnan joins forces with the Musketeers, who are wanted by the scheming Richelieu (Christoph Waltz). The cardinal enlists manipulative mercenary Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) to make King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) believe that Queen Anne (Juno Temple) is cheating on him with Duke Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) so that the young French monarch will declare war on England. But the Musketeers and D'Artagnan discover the plot and attempt to stop the cardinal from succeeding.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (15 ):

For an epic swashbuckler, this classic adventure is disappointing and downright soporific. The extravagant set pieces may be grand and the air ships quite cool, but otherwise there's no oomph to this unnecessary adaptation. Despite the decent cast and all the rapid-fire editing of the fight sequences, the story doesn't come to life, and the actors just seem to be dialing in their performances. With all the blossoming romance between D'Artagnan and Constance and the king and queen, it's clear that the movie is actually made for action-loving boys and lovesick girls who won't care about the big picture.

Mikkelsen and Waltz, both of whom must be bored playing baddies at this point in their careers, need to find roles that don't typecast them as villains. The impressive spark from Lerman's performance in 3:10 to Yuma has been replaced by the smirk of a pretty young actor who's coasting on his good looks. As for the Three Musketeers themselves, they're forgettable and underdeveloped, a tragic combination for some of literature's most interesting warriors. Ultimately, this is a skippable movie that insults audiences with a cliffhanger ending that all but begs for a sequel. May the studio have enough sense to let this particular Musketeer adventure end.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence and how it's portrayed. Is it casual and humorous or necessary and serious?

  • How does this adaptation differ from previous adaptations of The Three Musketeers?

  • Do you agree with Athos' advice to D'Artagnan to forget about king and country and save the woman he loves?

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